Jacob could barely focus on his work for the rest of the day. He kept as busy as he could, hoping to make the time pass faster. He finished the transmission on the Impala, the brake pads on the Jeep, and the realignment on the Chevy. The only thing he had left to work on was under the hood of the baby blue Mustang. He was hoping he could make the engine purr.

Now he just had to wait for the last car to be paid for and picked up. Then he could go home and get ready to go to Bella’s. He tried not to get too hopeful because he knew there was a chance that Renesmee wouldn't even be there when he arrived. And the excuse that Bella had provided seemed lame, but he didn’t care. This was his shot and he wasn't about to blow it.

After locking up his dad’s garage, Jacob rushed home to shower and change. It took some scrubbing to get his hands clean from the grease and his hair was still needing a trim, but he couldn't worry about that now. After checking his hair one last time, Jacob made his way out the door. He almost forgot his toolbox, but he remembered it at the last second.

………..

Renesmee sighed, glancing up at the clock on the wall. It was getting late and she still hadn’t had dinner. As she rolled off her bed and padded toward the kitchen, she heard a knock at the door. Confused, since she wasn’t expecting company, she craned her neck to look outside. Her stomach jumped when she saw Jacob’s motorbike outside. She scowled at her stomach for betraying her. Why was the thought of Jacob giving her butterflies?

Jacob leaned against the doorjamb as she waited for someone to  answer the door. He nearly fell back when he saw Renesmee’s face. He just assumed that she was still hiding out in her room like Bella had said earlier.

“Hey,” she said softly when she found him standing there.

He stood up straight and bit back the huge smile that was beginning to spread across his face. All he could think to say was, “Hey.”

Renesmee raised her eyebrows expectantly and waited for him to respond. After staring dreamily at her for a moment, Jacob finally realized what she wanted. “Oh! Your mom said one of the windows had a broken lock…” he raised his toolbox to show her.

“Oh...yeah.  Sorry, she didn’t tell me you were coming by,” she replied, pulling the door open and allowing him to enter.

He brushed past her slowly, the scent of pine, the outdoors and freshly washed hair wafted in behind him. She almost forgot to breathe. “Home alone tonight?” he asked casually.

She closed the door, leaning against the back of the door for a moment as she tried to regain her composure. Feigning disinterest, she replied coolly, “Yeah, they do leave me alone by myself sometimes.”

He turned quickly and his smile caught her off guard. “I know they do. I just thought they would be here.” He stared down at her for a moment before adding, “Were you in the middle of something?”

Renesmee blinked quickly, trying to follow the conversation. She glanced down at her clothes and suddenly felt self-conscious. She wore a pair of knit cotton shorts with a lace trim and a matching tank top, that wasn’t quite long enough to fully cover her stomach. She tugged at it nervously and replied, “I was in bed. Lying in bed, I mean. I was working on my drawings.”

Jacob smiled proudly. “Well I can get out of your way as soon as you tell me one thing,” he said as his eyes scanned the room.

“What’s that?”

“Where’s the broken lock?” he asked, beaming.

………….

Renesmee was mentally beating herself up as she led Jacob down the hall to her room. She couldn't concentrate on being mad at him anymore and that was making her mad at herself. “It’s that one,” she pointed to the far window that faced the forest behind their house.

Jacob glided past her as she sat on the edge of her dresser. He inspected the lock for a moment and then told her, “It shouldn’t take me long to fix this. Sorry if I’m in your way.”

She watched him slip off his jacket and open his tool box. His back looked bigger, more muscular, but how was that possible? It had been less than a week since she had last seen him. “Actually I was on the way to the kitchen. I was going to make myself some dinner.”

With that, she escaped. Her room seemed too small with him in it. The sight of him, the smell of him, it was all just too much. Her composure was shaky at best. How could she keep this up when she missed him so much? She didn’t even realize how much until she found him standing at her door.

………

Jacob fixed the broken lock as best as he could and then turned his attention to his surroundings. Renesmee’s room looked drastically different than it did the last time he had been here. But it was always that way. Because Renesmee had matured as such an accelerated rate, her interests and in turn, her room was always changing.

When she was little, it was dolls and fairytales and ballet. Then as she got older it was music lessons with her dad and dressing up like a princess. Her parents could hardly keep up with the changes, but they encouraged any new interests she may have. Jacob admired them for that.

As Jacob grabbed his tool box and made his way to the door, he paused at her dresser and reached for a bottle of her perfume. He sniffed the scent softly and smiled to himself.

When he entered the kitchen, he found her eating a sandwich and scrolling through her phone. “All fixed?” she asked when she found him standing there.

Jacob made a face and shook his head. “I bent it back enough for it to shut, but it really needs replaced. I’ll stop by the hardware store and pick up a new one tomorrow.”

Renesmee put a plate of food down in front of hers and motioned for him to join her. “I hope turkey is okay,” she offered as she stood to clear her spot on the island and wash up her plate in the sink.

When she turned to face him again, he was polishing off the rest of his sandwich. “I guess I was hungry,” he mused.

She approached him slowly and he fully expecting her to throw him out. “Can you help me out with something else?” she asked.

Jacob nodded absently and followed her into her room again. He watched as she crossed the room and sat on the edge of her bed. She patted the spot next to her and waved him over.

It was all Jacob could do to not go sprinting over to her. Instead he approached her cautiously, his eyes searching hers for answers. “Nessie, I don’t…”

Renesmee reached for his hand pulled him down to join her on the bed. “I need your hand,” she said, as a smile started to form at the corners of her lips.

“For what?” he asked nervously.

Renesmee reached behind her and showed him her drawing pad. “I’m starting this art class next week and I need the practice.” He stared at her blankly, so she added, “I need to practice drawing hands. Can I draw yours?”

“Oh! Oh yeah...of course...that’s fine,” he stammered.

“You’re such a dork,” she teased, as she shifted herself around to lie on her stomach.

“Where should I…”

Renesmee scooted back on the bed and motioned for Jacob to lie across the end. He propped himself up on one elbow and rested his other hand across his stomach. “Comfortable?” she wondered as he shifted around, finally settling on a position that left most of his legs hanging off the bed.

She reached for the hand she wanted to draw and positioned it flat on the bed in front of her. She found a blank page in her book and began sketching immediately. Jacob watched her face as she studied his hand and tried to bring it to life on the page. When he tried to look at her drawing, she poked him with the non-pointy end of her pencil and scolded him. “I told you...no peeking!”

He laughed softly and that pain in his gut subsided. Did he dare feel hope? Was the end almost here?

Renesmee announced that she was finished with her drawing finally, so they both switched positions and ended up side by side, shoulders touching. “Can I see it?”

Renesmee held her drawing to her chest for a moment. “You can’t laugh.”

“I promise,” he urged, as she cautiously handed it over. He inspected carefully before declaring, “Is there anything you’re not good at?”

Nessie beamed proudly. Then she admitted, “There are some things I don’t do well…”

Jacob scowled, “I don’t believe you, Ness. I think you’re really talented.”

They sat that way for a while, looking at her drawings and talking about her talent. When Jacob got ready to leave, she walked him to the door and reminded him to grab his tool box. He never wanted to leave. He didn't want this feeling to end. But that wasn’t being realistic.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” they both said at the same time. She laughed and he smiled down at her. “Goodnight,” he breathed and because he was feeling brave, he bent down to kiss her cheek.

She gazed up at him as he pulled back. “Jake…”

“Yeah?”

“I really missed you,” she blurted as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a big hug.

He buried his face in her shoulder and squeezed her so tightly that he lifted her right off the ground. He didn’t want to hold her too tightly or pull back too quickly. But most of all he didn’t want anything to ruin this peace between them. So he put her down gently and said goodbye again.